DSA Business Customer Conference Pilot

I attended this conference yesterday 2 March.

Presentations given by Bob Jarvis, Trevor Wedge and Rosemary Thew were very professional and very interesting and informative.

I have certainly revised my opinion of Trevor Wedge. There is a new atmosphere in the heirarchy of the DSA. They seem to be more relaxed than they were at the last DIA meeting I went to. Maybe it was because they were on their home ground.

There was none of the 'them and us' attitude that has for so long been the hall mark of DSA contacts with ADIs. It was very much a two way process with a lot of emphasis from all of them on the fact that they wanted our input.

The question and answer sessions were very professionally handled by Bob Jarvis and the panel answered fully and openly.

I would say that at a rough guess there were around 2-300 people there from the Driver/Rider training fraternity.

If ther pilot conference has been judged a success and a series of meetings is rolled out I would strongly recommend that people should attend them. I found it to be good value and it is likely that attendance will be classed as some form of CPD

I think thet Rosemary Thew is making a difference and has motivated her staff.

Couple of points of topical interest were aired.

1. HPT. They (the DSA) were quite adamant that failure to take the HPT by Dec 2006 will initiate removal proceedings from the Register for the individuals concerned. The human rights issue was discussed and it was made clear that as it has been made law there is no dispensation available to the Registrar.

Whether this is ever overturned by the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg or not would depend upon an individual taking a case to them to try it out.

2. CPD. Two types of CPD. Mandatory CPD that must be taken and then a selction of CPD training on a pick and mix basis that can be taken as it suits individual circumstances.

No CPD will be provided by the DSA.

The DSA will accredit and hopefully monitor CPD training that it is expecting to be provided by commercial sources. The costs will be borne by the ADIs who are taking the training. Wedge is researching some form of training subsidy that could be applied to the mandatory requirements.

It remains to be seen what will be classed as viable CPD. There was some talk from the panel of one full day per year for each year of a licence life.

(One idiot from the audience suggested that the only acceptable course would be a minimum of 7 days. Clearly unable to do his sums.On line courses were suggested but it seems that our computer illiterate peers have sunk that one. I believe that it should still be an option for those that want it.)

Badger

03-03-06 21:09:03

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Re: DSA Business Customer Conference Pilot

Re: DSA Business Customer Conference Pilot

Not got a problem with CPD, or the one day for each year of the licence etc. Problem is going to be cost: most of the training places will want somewhere in the region of £300 from each ADI, to run this day, which is going to be the downfall of many, especially those that are main earners, or part time. It is a fair whack to find. I have to say that having looked at courses being run by the DIA that they are as guilty of the high rate.

Maybe an arrangement, where local groups of ADIs can get together in self study groups, and share the cost of whoever is to be the trainer or whatever for the day may be a better option.

Re: DSA Business Customer Conference Pilot

I agree about the cost. there are some stupid prices being bandied about.

My advice is not to get involved in any sort of 'CPD' training that you want to add to your official list of CPD completed until it is confirmed that the particular course that you might be interested in has been accredited by the DSA.

Unless of course yiou just feel the need for a course. But you might be wasting your money if you want it on your file as acceptable CPD taken.

You remember the hype over the thoery test when it was first introduced ? People were selling Theory training packs and courses to teach the theory test at great cost.

Look at it now. Who does classroom presentations for the theory test? Very few if any.

Re: DSA Business Customer Conference Pilot

Re: DSA Business Customer Conference Pilot

High course fees will only come about if the big boys get their way in how CPD is organised. Why? Because some of the associations are already seeing the ££££ signs coming their way and want the courses to be controlled by the few.

One of them is so far advanced with planning that it has already announced it's going to cost us around £500 per year, and that's before any details of content is decided.

One organisation though believes that anyone who fullfils the required criteria for accreditation should be able to run courses, and that would include local associations.

Re: DSA Business Customer Conference Pilot

We do not want the big two or three to monopolise the production of CPD intervention.

It must be devolved downwards and outwards. and as you said it could be a perfectly reasonable source of income for local ADI associations.

Lets face it all you need is a syllabus and someone capable of delivering it. The accredited Instructor signs off the records of those who attend a series of lectures demonstrations assessments or whatever and bobs your uncle, job done at reasonable cost.

Thats probaly too simplistic for the lumpheads at various consultancies who will be brought in to advise on content etc.

Re: DSA Business Customer Conference Pilot

The DSA had origonally planned for an audience of 200, but found their phones ringing like 'ell' from ADIs asking for places, so DSA allowed for another 100 to attend and very nearly achieved a total of 300 on the day..

Rather a shock though, that so many ADIs actually were keen to take a day off from the coal face to attend..So different from the apathy of recent years..

Some complain about the cost to the ADI, of doing CPD... It should cost them nothing, zilch!! The learner driver pupils / or company rep drivers will be the ones to pay, you simply pass the cost on to them in the lesson price.. Quite elementary really..

And the more expensive courses will naturally be far better quality than the cheap stuff which will be proffered about... It will be a case of, 'you get what you pay for.'

Re: DSA Business Customer Conference Pilot

Will spending a day on a skid pan be accredited? Will a St John's first aid course be accredited? Will going to an association meeting be accredited? Will sitting in the back of another ADI's lesson be accredited?

All of these are perfectly valid as CPD but if they are not on some arbitrary list maintained by the DSA (Who are not renown for maintaining lists i.e. pass plus) then they may not count so much as some expensive course run at the other end of the country.

CPD is an individual thing as we all have different needs and experiences. It's 'worth' can only be assessed on an individual basis.

A cheap and effective system would be for us to maintain a simple record of achievement folder in which we log relevant CPD and keep certificates. The SEADI can look at this at check test time and use it as part of the grading.

Simple, effective and cheap!

I wish both the DSA and the associations would stop trying to complicate matters - complication costs and we are the ones that must pay.